Happy 15th Birthday Katherine!

Dear Katherine, 

Each year when I write this letter I sit and watch the cursor blink and blink on the blank screen. How to describe you as you enter your fifteenth year? How to put into words how much you mean to me? To all of us? This year feels particularly emotional to me. A few weeks ago you said, ‘I will have spent my entire fourteenth year in quarantine.’ and this is true. Yours was one of the first drive-by birthday celebrations I attended. I stood on the front lawn, crying while feeling both so sad that this was your celebration and so grateful that so many people loved you. 

As we celebrate you this year, the world has opened up a bit and you will be able to enjoy your friends outside and together. I am so proud of how you have maintained your friendships this year. This was no small accomplishment. I was more thankful than ever that you have surrounded yourself with caring and thoughtful friends who were just the right people with whom to navigate the world of socially distanced friendships. 

You began high school in the midst of a pandemic. There was none of the typical preparation that helps a freshman feel ready to enter their new world but you took it all in stride. You walked into a new and huge building with your head held high. You found your way to unfamiliar classrooms and met your teachers through masks, getting to know each other the best you could. As you navigated challenging classes you also had to overcome the hurdles of on-line learning and asking for help when you needed it through a computer screen. 

And as I do every year, I must write about dance. We have always known that you are a dancer. That dance means the world to you. But had we any doubts, this year confirmed the role that dance plays in your life. You have spent countless hours perfecting your craft in our living room, far from an ideal dance studio. You have stood by yourself with no one else’s energy to fuel you. Your dedication inspires me and all who know you to be better. 

While you loved performing when you could, you also loved watching and listening to others. Hamilton played on Disney Plus so many times you could recite the show word for word. Your love of Taylor Swift grew and you developed a newfound appreciation for Dolly Parton, especially the song 9 to 5. It was so fun to watch you count down the days till a new Taylor Swift song was released or to join your friends on FaceTime to enjoy Hamilton together. 

While I wish your world could have been bigger during your fourteenth year, I am so grateful for all the time we spent together. You make us all smile and think and feel so loved. Your empathy and maturity far exceed your fifteen years and all the people that you welcome into your world are so lucky to be there. 

I love you sweet girl. Happy Birthday!